Europe opens higher amid earnings, German GDP

Markets in Europe traded higher shortly after the opening bell on Thursday as traders echoed the latest corporate results from Renault, Credit Suisse, Nestle and Airbus, among others. Also, Germany said its gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2018 remained virtually unchanged, standing at 0.9%. Meanwhile, traders are likely to be kept busy monitoring the latest developments in the US-China trade talks being held this week in Beijing. The White House said on Wednesday that a final deal depends on the outcome of a potential meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, while media reported that the US leader is thinking about extending the deadline for imposing new tariffs on Chinese goods for another 60 days.

The DAX rose 0.81% shortly after the open led by Wirecard rising 3.32%, the CAC 40 climbed 0.96% as Legrand and Airbus soared 5.42% and 5.37%, respectively, while the FTSE 100 advanced 0.37% led by gains from Micro Focus International whose shares jumped 6.68%. The euro traded flat against the US dollar, buying 1.1267 at 9:13 am CET.